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Carlinville, Illinois _________________
Quincy to Carlinville
Take I-172 south for 15 miles to I-36. Take I-36 east 60 miles to
Jacksonville. Go south on US 67 for 30 miles until Hwy 108. Take a left,
heading east on Hwy 108 for 20 miles to Carlinville. Approximately 125 miles.
History
Carlinville was founded in 1828 and to this day is the only town with that name in the world. The old-fashioned town square with its quaint gazebo, historic buildings and brick streets is still intact and sheds some light on this community's rich history.
Carlinville's downtown is a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois. The Loomis House is possibly the most historically significant. It was designed by E. E. Meyers, the same architect that designed the "Million Dollar" Macoupin County Courthouse and Jail. The Loomis House was originally a 50-room hotel with dining facilities. Today it is home to several local businesses.
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The Macoupin County Courthouse is another architectural must see. It was completed in 1870 and cost the taxpayers of Macoupin County over 1.3 million dollars. At the time, the courthouse was one of the largest in the country. The jail was completed in 1869. Its style is Gothic Revival and has been described as a fortress. It was designed to be escape proof and was actually used until 1988. For more information on these buildings, contact the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce at (217) 854-2141. |
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Carlinville has the largest single collection of Sears Mail Order Homes in a development called Stardard Addition, named for Standard Oil Company. In 1917, two new coal mines were opened and Carlinville's population soared. Standard Oil turned to Sears & Roebuck to solve the housing shortage in Carlinville. A total of 156 homes were ordered at a cost of $3,000 to $4,000 each. Standard Addition draws quite a lot of national attention with 152 of the 156 homes still standing. Sears was forced out of the mail order home business during the Depression.
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Illinois Highway 4 was the state's first paved road and from 1926 to 1930 the original Route 66, running from St. Louis to Chicago, ran through Carlinville on Highway 4. In 1995, the State of Illinois' Department of Transportation recognized the historical significance of the original Route 66 and posted historical markers to commemorate the path.